Automobile sleigh-runner.



C. E. ANDERSSON.

AUTOMDBILE SLEIGH RUNNER.

Patented 31111.12, 1915.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WNR

C. E. ANDBRSSON. AUTOMOBILE SLEIGH RUNNER.

APPLloATIoN FILED MAY ze. 1914,

1,124,384., Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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nUNnnnnrHs To naman Cusick, Ja, or DULUTH, mimnso'ra au'rdmonrnnsnaren-RUNNER.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

' Application `led. Hay 28, 1914. Serial No. 841,501.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL Enns ANnEBssoN,

- a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county ofSt. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automobile Sleigh-Runners, of which the following in aspecification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in-sleigh runners and has for its primary object to provide a device ofthis character which may be readily positioned upon an automobile or thelike and which vwill behighly efficient in use.

Another object is to provide an automobile sleigh runner including amovable sur- 'face engaging member projecting through the bottom of therunner base, and provided with teeth for engagement in the surface overwhich the runner is traveling.

Another object is to provide a device of j this character which will beconstructed in such manner that the continuous surface engaging membermay be operated from the engine of the vehicle upon which the runner ispositioned.

A further object is to provide a sleigh runner of this characterincluding means for resiliently retaining the teeth of the surfaceengaging member in engagement with the surface'and also' serving toabsorb all shocks incident to said teeth coming in contact'with stonesor other obstructions in the path of the runner.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a sleigh runner of thischaracter which will be constructed in' such manner that the movablecontinuous surface engaging member will be engaged around a pair ofsprocket wheels mounted in such manner that they may be resilientlyretained against vertical movement and the casing within which theshafts for said wheels are mounted may be readily moved toward or awayfrom one another to adjust the tension of the continuous surfaceengaging member.

This invention has for a stillfurther object to generally improve andsimplify the construction and arrangement of the various parts of thedevice and the manner in which said lparts are mounted and connectedwith one another and inclosed in a casing having a removable side plate,whereby said parts may be readily assembled: or taken apart numerals,

should it be necessary to replace any of the parts of the device onaccount oftheasanie becoming worn or broken. f. l

With these and other objects in View as will become more apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe followlng description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a longitudinal section through a sleigh runner constructed inaccordance with my invention, Fig. 2 is a detail transverse section onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section taken onthe plane of line 3 3 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view ofone of the bearing casings, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through amodified form of runner, Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a reduced perspective view of the removableside plates employed in the modified form of the device.

Referring in detail to the drawings by is substantially triangular formin general outline, the lower wall of said casing serving as the base ofthe runner and having its opposite ends curved upwardly, as shown at 2,the base being open at its bottom to allow the 'surface engaging teeth 3formed on the 'continuous lower belt 4 to project through the base ofthe runner and engage the sur face over which said runner is traveling,to force the runner forwardly, thereby providing a self-propellingrunner. rI`he continuous belt 4 is positioned in the lower com- 1designates an outer casing which partment 5 of the runner casing 1 andengaged around the sprocket wheels6 at the opposite ends of said lowercompartment 5. The sprocket wheels 6 are mounted upon the lower shaft 7which have their opposite ends mounted in suitable bearings 8 engagedinv the slots 9 formed in the side walls of the removable bearing casing10.

The bearing casing 10 is of substantially U-shaped form and has itslower ends 11 directed outwardly, while anges 12 are formed near theupper end of the casing 10, substantially'A parallel with the ends 11and main casing 1 and guide said bearing casing in its longitudinalmovementin the compartment 5. Each bearing casin has a handle 13projecting therefrom, the opposite end of said handle being connectedwith the inner vertical edges of thesides of said bearing casing 10, andthe `central portion of said handle 13 being provided with a suitableopening 14 within which is secured a stationary screw 15 in alinementwith a similar screw 16, which is secured in a vdepending ear 17 in thecompartment 5 a spaced distance from. the end thereof, said screws 15and 16 being connected by a turnbuckle 18by means of which the casing 10may be moved longitudinally of the compartment 5 to adjust the tensionof the continuous belt 4. It will be readily understood that the bearingcasings 10 do not move vertically, but the shaft 7 and bearings 8 maymove in the slots 9, and said bearings 8 are resiliently retained in thelower ends of said slots 9 by the springs 19 positioned in said slots 9.Ill`he shaft 7 also has mounted thereon the sprocket wheels 2O aroundwhich are engaged the drive chains -21 which also pass around thesprocket wheels 22 mounted upon the sleeve 23 within the uppercompartment 24: of the main casing 1 and within which an axle or driveshaft of the vehicle upon which the device is employed, may be engagedto rotate said sleeve 23 and sprocket wheel 22. It will be understoodthat suitable `inclined fasteners 25 connect the upper compartment 24with the opposite ends of the compartment 5.

In order to resiliently retain the continuous sprocket chain 4 in normalor operative position, to permit engagement of the teeth 3` with thesurface, I have provided a plurality of anti-friction rollers 26 forengage` ment with the upper face of the lower portion of the sprocketchaini and mounted in suitable brackets 27 depending from the lower faceof the bearing block 28 pivotally mounted in an auxiliary compartment 29formed between the upper and lower portions of the sprocket chain 4 andresiliently retained in its lowermost position by a series of springs 36bearing against the upper face of said block 28..4 It will be evidentthat the rollers 26 will reduce friction to the minimum and said rollerstogether with the block 28 may be readily forced upwardly against thetension of the springs 36 upon engagement of the teeth 3 in said block,with a stone or other obstruction in the path of the runner.

`While the main casing 1 may be formed in any suitable manner, I ,preferto formlthe same from a casting and leave one sideopen to be closed by asuitable side plate positioned by bolts or other suitable securing 10alsoV the openings 31 in the lower corners and the upper portion of'saidmain casing 1.

members passed therethrough and through In Figs. 5 to.7 inclusive, Ihave shown a modified form of the device in which a single continuousbelt 4 is employed and passed around an upper sprocket wheel 22 mountedupon the sleeve 23 positioned transversely through the upper portion ofthe main casing 1 and through the upper .compartment 24J of said maincasing 1.A

It will be understood that the continuous sprocket chain 4 is alsopassed around the lower sprocket wheel 6 and has the teeth 3 formedthereon and adapted 'to extend through the open face of the runner andengage the surface over which said runner is traveling. In this modiedform Aof the device, I have provided a pair of grooved idlers 32a spaceddistance from the sprocket wheel 22 and to opposite sides of the latter,and adapted to ride upon the ,continuous sprocket chain l to retain thesame in proper engagement with the sprocket wheels 22 and .6', as willbe readily understood, the teeth 3 working in the grooves of ,saididlers 32. i

It will be understood that the idlers 32 are mounted on suitable shafts33 positioned transversely in the side passages 25 of the main casing 1connecting the upper compartment 24 with the lower compartment 5. Itwill also be understood that the sleeve 23 is adapted to be engaged overand locked for rotation with an axle or shaft of a vehicle upon whichthe runner is to be employed, whereby the Continuous sprocket chain ewill be driven to propel the runner.

Itwill further be understood that the lower sprocket wheels 6 aremounted upon suitable shafts 7 positioned transversely at the oppositeends of the lower compartment 5 and mounted in suitable slots in thesides of the bearing casings 10 similar to the bearing casings 10employed in the preferred form of the device, having handles 13 withthreaded members 15 projecting therefrom and connected with similarthreaded members 16 by means of turnbuckles 18', said threaded members16 being mounted in suitable depending ears 17 projecting into the lowercompartment 5.y v

It will also be understood that a portion of the continuous sprocketchain 4 is resiliently retained in its lowermost position or operativeposition by means of a series of bearing rollers 26 mounted in suitablebrackets 27 depending from the bottom of the vertically movable bearingblock 28 mounted in the auxiliary compartment 29 above the lowercompartment 5, and resiliently retained at the lower portion of saidauxiliary compartment '29- by means of a series of springs 30 bearingupon lche upper face of said bearing block 28. It .will be be madewithin understood, however, that the bearing rollers 26 and bearingblock 28 may be readily forced upwardly against the tension of thesprings 30 upon engagement of one or more of the teeth Sbeneath saidblock 28 and rollers 26', with an obstruction in the path of the runner.i

It will be readily apparent that in the modified form, as well as in thepreferred form, the main casing l is preferably in the form of a castinghaving one side open and adapted to be closed by means of the sideplates 3l having suitable openings 35 for securing members forregistration with the openings 3l in the corners of the main casing l,whereby the securing members may be readily engaged through the maincasing l and the side plates 34. It will further be understood that theopposite ends of the runner are curved upwardly, as shown at 2.

While the preferred forms of the device are shown and illustrated, itwill be understood that minor changes in the details of construction andarrangement of parts may the scope of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of theadvantages thereof.

What is claimed is l. A device of the class described comprising arunner including a main casing having a lower compartment with itsbottom open, a continuous member within'said lower compartment, sprocketvwheels: within said lower compartment, said continuous member beingengaged over said sprocket wheels, surface engaging teeth carried bysaid continuous member, shafts for said sprocket wheels, means forresiliently retaining the shafts in proper position, means for adjustingthe tension of the continuous member, and means for rotating thesprocket wheels to drive said continuous member.`

,a continuous 2. A. device of the class described comprising a runnerincluding a main casing having upper and lower compartments, a drivewheel positioned in said upper compartment, sprocket vWheels positionedin the lower compartment, shafts for said sprocket wheels, connectionsbetween said drive wheel and said shafts to rotate the latter, acontinuous toothed member within the lower compartment and engagedaround said sprocket wheels, the bottom of said main casing being open,the teeth of the continuous toothed member being adapted to extendthrough the open bottom of said main casing and engage the surface overwhich the runner is traveling, and means for supporting the shafts inproper position.

3. A device of the class described comprising a runner including a maincasing having upper and lower compartments, a drive wheel within saidupper compartment, sprocket wheels within the lower compartment, thebottom of the lower compartment being open, member engaged around saidsprocket wheels and adapted to be driven by the drive wheel in the uppercompartment, teeth carried by said continuous member and projectingthrough the open bottom of the lower compartment, shafts for saidsprocket wheels, movable bearings for said shafts, means within saidmovable bearings for resiliently retaining the shafts in normalposition, and means for resiliently retaining the teeth of thecontinuous member in engagement with the surface over which the runneris traveling.

In testimony whereof I aflix my in presence of two witnesses.

CARL ERIK ANDERssoN. Witnesses GEO. B. SYosELIN, KATHERINE OLSON.

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